For dumplings:
Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes. Cool. Mix in cheese, tomatoes and basil. Season filling with salt and pepper. Place wrappers on work surface. Place 2 teaspoons filling in center. Brush edges with water. Fold wrappers diagonally in half; press edges to seal. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Place in single layer on floured baking sheet. Cover; chill.)

Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock if necessary. Cook dumplings in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Using slotted spoon, place 2 dumplings atop soup in each bowl.

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Recent Review

Granted, I've made some modifications, but this recipe was the basis for an absolutely drop-dead-wonderful soup.
First of all, I used a very rich homemade chicken broth. Because I'm in Mexico, where fennel is difficult to fine, instead of white wine, I used an anise-flavored liqueur (like Pernod). That provided the hint of anise-flavoring the original recipe gets from fresh fennel. Worked like a charm!
When making the dumplings, I used homemade oven-dried (like sun-dried) tomatoes instead of fresh ones. Oven drying condenses the flavors and delivers more of a punch. I also cooked up the dumplings the same way you'd cook potstickers (lightly fried and then steamed in the pan). Lastly, because I thought the soup could use a little color -- and because zucchini flowers are available to me -- I used the brightly colored portions of the blossoms, finely cut into slivers, as a light garnish.
And a last tip: From my experience, I think that this soup tastes best either freshly made, or the next day. Beyond that, the flavors are not quite as perfect as they are when fresh.